Make hay while the sun shines
This proverb means that we should make the best use of the opportunity. Good luck and good fortune are rare and when they come, we should seize them by the forelock, because an opportunity missed is an opportunity lost. If it is lost, it may be lost forever. Shakespeare has emphasised the truth of it in his immortal lines: There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood leads on to fortune. If we leave the golden chance, it may not get an equally favourable moment. Our life may be compared to a dinner in which time, the bearer, is changing the plates at regular and irregular intervals. Those who wish to make their mark in life must move with the times and do things when the moment seems most favourable or auspicious. They must strike while the iron is hot. Time is like an old man with a bald head and with only one lock of hair curling on his forehead. Those who want to catch him must catch him by the forelock. The key to success lies in proper and timely action. The lives of successful men will reveal that they realized the truth of this maxim and acted promptly. The proverb has assumed a new and greater significance in this age of machine and speed. Timely action or promptness in doing things is of the utmost importance.
